AG Russell Ti Frame Lock?...and how to sharpen hollow grind?

JSR · Nov 16, 2006

Anyone have any experience, comments, reviews, feedback on the AG Russell Ti Frame Lock?

http://www.agrussell.com/knives/by_...ctical_ats34_blade_brown_anodized_handle.html

$99 seems like a very nice price for a Ti frame lock. Are there any other Ti frame locks that are affordable?

I really really like the BM 635 Mini-Skirmish, but don't like the hole open as my thumb consistently slips against it (plus, it's out of my price range). I wish the AG folder had a more aggressive recurve.

Oh, also, how would I sharpen the hollow ground blade? Would it just become a flat grind then?

psycho78 · Nov 16, 2006

Nice knife.

Not sure what you mean about sharpening a hollow grind and turning it into a flat grind... I sharpen all my knives the same, whether flat or hollow ground at a 20-25 degree angle.

more aggressive recurve? In my opinion this one has a pretty good recurve as it is. I think more would make the design unattractive. I'd prefer the blade to be straighter actually.

Cliff Stamp · Nov 16, 2006

JSR said:
Oh, also, how would I sharpen the hollow ground blade? Would it just become a flat grind then?

Only the primary, or main blade grind is hollow, the edge would be flat ground and you would sharpen it the same as any other flat ground edge.

-Cliff

psycho78 · Nov 16, 2006

haha yeah...what cliff said!

Walking Man · Nov 16, 2006

We had a passaround, and I was able to handle one myself. Yes, it's a pretty nice knife, and the price has dropped significantly since it was first offered. The hollow ground is nice and deep, so you won't notice too much difference between it and and a flat grind. I didn't win the lottery, which might have been nice, but I ended up not wanting to buy one because of the finger placement notches felt a little funny in my hand. The second notch isn't big enough for two fingers, and the last bit isn't big enough for you last two fingers, so the points ended up biting into my hand. IMO, a pretty stupid design mistake, but others liked it. Do a search for Russell in the passaround forum. Good Luck!

inspecto · Nov 16, 2006

I have one , nice knife for the money.

JSR · Nov 17, 2006

Thanks guys for the info! I'm not very familiar with blade grinds. How many grinds does a blade typically have?...2?...primary and secondary? I assume the primary is further up the blade and the secondary is the actual cutting edge? What's the advantage of having a hollow primary grind and a flat secondary? Also, for other knives that say they're hollow ground, does the statement that only the primary grind is hollow and the secondary/edge grind is flat?
Thanks.

Cliff Stamp · Nov 17, 2006

JSR said:
I assume the primary is further up the blade and the secondary is the actual cutting edge?

Yes.

What's the advantage of having a hollow primary grind and a flat secondary?

As a general rule, the edge is the part of the knife which has the heaviest loads upon it and thus it needs more metal and thus a more obtuse angle. Hollow ground blades are typically found either on knives made simply to cut very well where the blade is hollow ground so there is minimal metal remaining, and ironically also on very heavy use tacticals where the grinds are very low (sabre-hollow) and that is just because it is cheap to make.

Also, for other knives that say they're hollow ground, does the statement that only the primary grind is hollow and the secondary/edge grind is flat?

Generally, though sometimes the edge is convex. There are some knives with hollow edges but it is usually something the user will grind to flat immediately as it is too weak. Most of the cheaper scandinavian blades have hollow ground edges for example though they are usually referred to incorrectly as flat.

-Cliff